Surgical instrument with articulation assembly

ABSTRACT

A surgical instrument includes an elongate body, a toothed rack, and an end effector. The elongate body has a proximal end and a distal end and defines a first longitudinal axis. The toothed rack is disposed within the elongate body and is movable in a direction parallel to the first longitudinal axis. The end effector has a proximal end pivotally supported on the distal end of the elongate body. The end effector defines a second longitudinal axis and supports a gear operatively associated with the rack. Longitudinal movement of the rack effects pivotal movement of the end effector relative to the elongate body from a first position to a second position. In the first position, the second longitudinal axis is aligned with the first longitudinal axis. In the second position, the second longitudinal axis is misaligned with the first longitudinal axis.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to surgical instruments for endoscopic use and, more specifically, to surgical instruments having articulation assemblies for articulating an end effector of the surgical instrument.

2. Background of Related Art

Various types of surgical instruments used to endoscopically treat tissue are known in the art, and are commonly used, for example, for closure of tissue or organs in transection, resection, anastomoses, for occlusion of organs in thoracic and abdominal procedures, and for electrosurgically fusing or sealing tissue.

One example of such a surgical instrument is a surgical stapling instrument. Typically, surgical stapling instruments include an end effector having an anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly for supporting an array of surgical staples, an approximation mechanism for approximating the cartridge and anvil assemblies, and a firing mechanism for ejecting the surgical staples from the cartridge assembly.

During laparoscopic or endoscopic surgical procedures, access to a surgical site is achieved through a small incision or through a narrow cannula inserted through a small entrance wound in a patient. Because of limited area available to access the surgical site, many endoscopic instruments include mechanisms for articulating the end effector of the instrument in relation to a body portion of the instrument to improve access to tissue to be treated.

A need exists for an improved surgical instrument, which includes a mechanism for articulating the end effector relative to the body portion that is easy to operate and is capable of positioning an end effector in a variety of orientations.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument is provided. The surgical instrument includes an elongate body, a toothed rack, and an end effector. The elongate body has a proximal end and a distal end. The elongate body defines a first longitudinal axis. The rack is disposed within the elongate body and is movable in a direction parallel to the first longitudinal axis. The end effector has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is pivotally supported on the distal end of the elongate body. The end effector defines a second longitudinal axis and supports a gear operatively associated with the rack. Longitudinal movement of the rack effects rotational movement of the gear to effect pivotal movement of the end effector relative to the elongate body from a first position to a second position. In the first position, the second longitudinal axis is aligned with the first longitudinal axis. In the second position, the second longitudinal axis is misaligned with the first longitudinal axis.

In some embodiments, the surgical instrument may further include another gear rotatably supported at the distal end of the elongate body. The gear supported on the elongate body may be defined as a first gear and the gear supported on the end effector may be defined as a second gear. The first gear may be in meshing engagement with the rack and the second gear such that the first gear converts longitudinal movement of the rack into rotational movement of the second gear.

It is contemplated that the first gear may include a bottom gear and a top gear. The bottom gear may be in meshing engagement with the rack. The top gear may be non-rotatably coupled to the bottom gear and in meshing engagement with the second gear. The bottom gear may be coplanar with the rack and the top gear may be coplanar with the second gear. The bottom and top gears of the first gear may be spaced from one another. The bottom gear may have a smaller diameter than a diameter of the top gear.

It is envisioned that the end effector may be configured to rotate 180 degrees relative to the elongate body about a pivot axis extending perpendicularly relative to the first longitudinal axis.

In some embodiments, the surgical instrument may further include an articulation mechanism coupled to the proximal end of the elongate body. The articulation mechanism may include a lever operatively coupled to a proximal end of the rack such that rotation of the lever effects longitudinal movement of the rack.

In some embodiments, the surgical instrument may be a surgical stapling instrument.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Surgical instruments including embodiments of the presently disclosed articulation mechanism are disclosed herein with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a surgical stapling instrument including an embodiment of the articulation mechanism in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of another surgical stapling instrument including an embodiment of the articulation mechanism in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a loading unit of the surgical stapling instruments of FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the area of detail indicated by the number “3” in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the loading unit of FIG. 2, with an outer housing and an upper half of an inner housing removed;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the area of detail indicated by the number “5” in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the loading unit of FIG. 2, with an outer housing and an upper half of an inner housing removed;

FIG. 7 is a top view of a portion of the loading unit of FIG. 2 illustrating the articulation assembly with an end effector of the loading unit shown in phantom in a first, non-articulated position;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the articulation assembly of the loading unit of FIG. 7 illustrating a proximal portion of the end effector shown in phantom in a second, articulated position approximately 90 degrees from the non-articulated position on one side of a longitudinal axis of the loading unit;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the articulation assembly of the loading unit of FIG. 7 illustrating a proximal portion of the end effector shown in phantom in a third, articulated position approximately 90 degrees offset from the first, articulated position on the other side of the longitudinal axis of the loading unit; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the loading unit of FIG. 2 illustrating the end effector in the third, articulated position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the instruments and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments. It is envisioned that the elements and features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the elements and features of another without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As well, one skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the disclosure based on the described embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims.

As used herein, the term “distal” refers to that portion of the instrument which is farthest from a clinician, while the term “proximal” refers to that portion of the instrument which is closest to the clinician. In addition, as used herein, the term clinician refers to medical staff including doctors, nurses and support personnel.

The present disclosure is directed to an articulation assembly for articulating an end effector of a surgical instrument relative to an elongate portion of the surgical instrument. The articulation assembly includes a toothed rack and a gear non-rotatably coupled to the end effector. The toothed rack is in operative association with the gear such that longitudinal movement of the toothed rack effects articulation of the end effector relative to the elongate portion, as will described in further detail below. Additional advantages of the presently disclosed articulation assembly and surgical instruments including the presently disclosed articulation assembly are described below.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate surgical stapling instruments incorporating embodiments of the presently disclosed articulation assembly, referenced generally as surgical stapling instruments 10 a and 10 b, respectively. Each of the surgical stapling instruments 10 a and 10 b can be used with the same surgical loading unit 100. The depicted surgical stapling instruments 10 a, 10 b fire staples, but may be adapted to fire any other suitable fastener such as clips and two-part fasteners. Additionally, while the figures depict a linear surgical stapling instrument, it is envisioned that the presently disclosed articulation assembly is suitable for use with other types of endoscopic surgical instruments including endoscopic forceps, graspers, dissectors, other types of surgical stapling instruments, powered vessel sealing and/or cutting devices, etc.

Generally, the surgical instrument 10 a includes a handle assembly 20 including a movable handle 22, an endoscopic body portion 30 extending distally from the handle assembly 20, and a surgical loading unit 100 disposed adjacent a distal end 32 of the endoscopic body portion 30. The loading unit 100 includes an elongate body 102 and an end effector 110 supported on a distal end 102 b of the elongate body 102. In some embodiments, the end effector 110, including a cartridge 112 and an anvil 114, does not form part of a loading unit 100, but rather, is directly coupled to the distal end 32 of the endoscopic body portion 30. As described above, the end effector 110 may include forceps, graspers, vessel sealing devices, etc., rather than a cartridge and anvil assembly.

As known in the art, the movable handle 22 is actuatable (e.g., through one or more strokes) to cause distal advancement of a drive rod (not shown), such that the drive rod engages a portion of a drive assembly (not shown), which forces at least a portion of the drive assembly to translate distally. Further details of how actuation of the movable handle 22 causes distal advancement of the drive rod are explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,139 to Milliman et al., the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Distal movement of the drive assembly, and in particular, a dynamic clamping member affixed thereto, causes an actuation sled (not shown) to move distally through the cartridge 112, which causes cam wedges (not shown) of the actuation sled to sequentially engage pushers (not shown) to move pushers vertically within retention slots and eject fasteners towards the anvil 114. Subsequent to the ejection of fasteners from the retention slots (and into tissue), a knife assembly 180 (FIG. 6) supported on the dynamic clamping member severs the fastened tissue as a knife 182 of the knife assembly 180 travels distally through a slot defined by the cartridge 112.

The surgical instrument 10 a also includes an articulation mechanism 40 for articulating an articulation assembly 130. The articulation assembly 130 is connected to the end effector 110 to facilitate articulation of the end effector 110, as described in detail below.

In embodiments, the articulation mechanism 40 includes a lever 42 supported on a rotation knob 44 adjacent the handle assembly 20. The lever 42 is adapted to actuate the articulation assembly 130 (FIG. 5), which is disposed within the loading unit 100, as will be described in further detail below. In the illustrated embodiment, the articulation lever 42 of the articulation mechanism 40 is disposed on the rotation knob 44 of the surgical stapling instrument 10 a. However, it is envisioned that the articulation lever 42 of the articulation mechanism 40 may be located on or adjacent another portion of the handle assembly 20.

The lever 42 of the articulation mechanism 40 is connected to a drive shaft (not shown). The lever 42 is rotatably coupled to the rotation knob 44 and is in operative association with the drive shaft such that rotation of the lever 42 relative to the knob 44 results in linear motion of the drive shaft. The drive shaft of the articulation mechanism 40 is operatively coupled to an articulation shaft 132 of the articulation assembly 130 of the loading unit 100 such that linear movement of the drive shaft causes linear movement of the articulation shaft 132. Details of an articulation mechanism 40 suitable for causing linear movement of a drive shaft to cause corresponding linear movement of articulation shaft 132 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,139 to Milliman et al., which has been incorporated by reference herein.

The presently disclosed articulation assembly 130 is also suitable for use with the surgical stapling instrument 10 b (FIG. 1A). The surgical stapling instrument 10 b is an electromechanical device and includes an actuation button 42′, instead of a manually operable lever 42, to effect articulation of the end effector 110. The actuation button 42′ is in electrical communication with a motorized drive shaft (not shown), which is operatively coupled to the articulation shaft 132 of the articulation assembly 130 such that actuation of the actuation button 42′ causes the motorized drive shaft to move linearly to cause linear movement of the articulation shaft 132, as will be described in further detail below.

With reference to FIGS. 2-6, the loading unit 100 is adapted to be attached to the endoscopic body portion 30 of the surgical stapling instrument 10 a (or 10 b) of the present disclosure. The loading unit 100 may be configured for a single use, or may be configured to be used more than once and includes the elongate body 102, the end effector 110 pivotally supported on the distal end 102 b of the elongate body 102, and the articulation assembly 130. As mentioned above, it is envisioned that the end effector 110 may be pivotally coupled directly to the endoscopic body portion 30 of the surgical stapling instrument 10 a rather than form a part of a loading unit.

In the illustrated embodiment, the elongate body 102 of the loading unit 100 has a proximal end 102 a and a distal end 102 b and defines a first longitudinal axis “X1” between the proximal and distal ends 102 a and 102 b, respectively. The proximal end 102 a of the elongate body 102 is removably received within the distal end 32 (FIG. 1A) of the elongated body portion 30 of the surgical stapling instrument 10 a using, e.g., a bayonet or luer type coupling. The elongate body 102 includes an outer housing 104 and an inner housing 106 disposed within the outer housing 104. The inner housing 106 houses, inter alia, the knife assembly 180 (FIG. 6) and components of the articulation assembly 130. The outer housing 104 may be in the form of a tube that covers the inner housing 106 to prevent contaminants from contacting components disposed within the inner housing 106. In some embodiments, the elongate body 102 of the loading unit 100 may be integrally connected to or monolithically formed with the endoscopic body portion 30 of the surgical stapling instrument 10 a.

With reference to FIG. 3, the end effector 110 of the loading unit 100 defines a second longitudinal axis “X2” that is aligned with the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102 when the end effector 110 is in a first, non-articulated position, and is misaligned with the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102 when the end effector 110 is in a second, articulated position, as described in greater detail below. The end effector 110 has a proximal end 116 pivotally coupled to the distal end 102 b of the elongate body 102. In particular, the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110 has a pivot pin 118 that is received in openings 119 formed in upper and lower bridge members 120 that pivotably connect the end effector 110 to the elongate body 102 (only the upper bridge member 120 is shown). The bridge members 120 have a first end fixedly connected to the distal end 102 b of the elongate body 102 and a second end pivotably secured to the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110 by the pivot pin 118. In some embodiments, other pivotable connections between the end effector 110 and the elongate body 102 are contemplated, such as, for example, a ball and socket connection. The proximal end 116 of the end effector 110 defines a slot 122 that is dimensioned to slidably receive a distal end of the articulation shaft 132 of the articulation assembly 130. The distal end of the articulation shaft 132 is connected to the end effector 110 such that as the shaft 132 moves from a retracted position to an advanced position, the end effector 110 is articulated in relation to the elongate body 102, as described in detail below.

With reference to FIGS. 3-6, the articulation assembly 130 of the loading unit 100 includes an articulation shaft 132, a first gear 142, and a second gear 152, each being in operative association with one another. The articulation shaft 132 has a distal end that defines a toothed rack 134. The shaft 132 has a proximal end 132 a and a distal end 132 b and is movably disposed within a cutout 135 (FIG. 6) defined longitudinally along the inner housing 106 of the elongate body 102. The articulation shaft 132 moves in a direction that is parallel to and laterally offset from the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102. The proximal end 132 a of the articulation shaft 132 is configured to engage a distal end of the drive shaft (not shown) of the articulation mechanism 40 such that linear translation of the drive shaft causes linear translation of the articulation shaft 132. The distal end 132 b of the articulation shaft 132 defines the rack 134 and has a plurality of teeth 134 a oriented inwardly toward the first longitudinal axis “X1.”

The first gear 142 of the articulation assembly 130 is rotatably supported at the distal end 102 b of the elongate body 102 of the loading unit 100 and includes a bottom gear 142 a and a top gear 142 b. The bottom gear 142 a is positioned adjacent the slot 122 defined in the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110. The top gear 142 b is non-rotatably coupled to and spaced from the bottom gear 142 a along a post 144. In some embodiments, the bottom and top gears 142 a, 142 b may be in the form of pinion gears. It is envisioned that the bottom and top gears 142 a, 142 b may be in the form of various types of gears, such as, for example, helical gears, miter gears, worm gears, anti-backlash gears, bevel gears, cluster gears, differential end gears, composite spur gears, and other gears known in the art. The inner housing 106 may include a projection or pin (not shown) for rotatably supporting the bottom gear 142 a. The bottom gear 142 a has a perpendicularly extending post 144 that is received within a central opening 146 defined through the top gear 142 b to form a friction fit connection between the bottom and top gears 142 a, 142 b. In some embodiments, the bottom and top gears 142 a, 142 b may be non-rotatably coupled to one another via various fastening engagements, such, as for example, adhesives, welding, threads, key/slot arrangement, etc. Alternately, the bottom and top gears 142 a, 142 b may be monolithically formed.

The bottom gear 142 a is coplanar and in meshing engagement with the rack 134 of the articulation shaft 132 adjacent the slot 122 defined in the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110 such that longitudinal movement of the articulation shaft 132 effects rotation of the bottom gear 142 a, and thus rotation of the top gear 142 b. In embodiments, the bottom gear 142 a has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the top gear 142 b. As such, as the first gear 142 rotates, a toothed circumferential edge 148 of the top gear 142 b rotates at a greater velocity than a toothed circumferential edge 150 of the bottom gear 142 a.

The second gear 152 of the articulation assembly 130 is non-rotatably supported at the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110 such that the end effector 110 rotates with the second gear 152 upon rotation of the second gear 152. The second gear 152 has a semi-circular configuration and is coplanar with the top gear 142 b of the first gear 142 of the elongate body 102. The second gear 152 has a toothed circumferential edge 154 in meshing engagement with the toothed circumferential edge 148 of the top gear 142 b of the first gear 142 such that linear advancement of the articulation shaft 132 causes rotation of the bottom and top gears 142 a, 142 b of the first gear 142, which causes rotation of the second gear 152. As described above, rotation of the second gear 152 causes corresponding rotation of the end effector 110 about the pivot pin 118.

With reference to FIGS. 7-10, prior to actuation of the actuation mechanism 40 (FIG. 1A) of the surgical instrument 10 a or 10 b, the end effector 110 is in a first, non-articulated position relative to the elongate body 102, as shown in FIG. 7. In this position, the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102 of the loading unit 100 is aligned (i.e., parallel) with the second longitudinal axis “X2” of the end effector 110 to define an angle of 180 degrees between longitudinal axes “X1” and “X2.”

To articulate the end effector 110 relative to the elongate body 102 in a clockwise direction toward a second, articulated position, the lever 42 (FIGS. 1A, 1B) of the articulation mechanism 40 of the surgical stapling instrument 10 a (or 10 b) is rotated clockwise. As described above, clockwise rotation of the lever 42 causes movement of the articulation shaft 132 along the longitudinal axis “X1,” in a proximal direction indicated by arrow “A” in FIG. 8. Linear motion of the shaft 132, in the direction indicated by arrow “A,” is converted into rotational motion of the first gear 142, in a direction indicated by arrow “B” in FIG. 8, due to the meshing engagement of the bottom gear 142 a of the first gear 142 with the teeth 134 a of the rack 134. As the bottom gear 142 a rotates, the top gear 142 b of the first gear 152 also rotates. As described above, the top gear 142 b is in meshing engagement with the second gear 152, which is secured to the end effector 110. As such, rotation of the first gear 142 causes rotation of the second gear 152, in a direction indicated by arrow “C” in FIG. 8. In this way, the first gear 142 converts longitudinal movement of the articulation shaft 132 into rotational movement of the second gear 152.

Rotation of the second gear 152 causes the end effector 110 to pivot or articulate about a pivot axis “P” (FIG. 5), extending perpendicularly relative to the first longitudinal axis “X1,” due to the second gear 152 being non-rotatably coupled to the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110. Upon pivotal movement of the end effector 116 about the pivot axis “P,” the second longitudinal axis “X2” of the end effector 110 becomes misaligned (i.e., non-parallel) with respect to the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102, as shown in FIG. 8. Continued rotation of the second gear 152 will continue to pivot the end effector 110 until the respective longitudinal axes “X1” and “X2” of the elongate body 102 and the end effector 110 are perpendicular to one another, as shown in FIG. 8. It is contemplated that the end effector 110 may be pivoted or articulated relative to the elongate body 102 to a position in which longitudinal axes “X1” and “X2” define an angle greater than 90 degrees.

To articulate the end effector 110 relative to the elongate body 102 in a counter-clockwise direction toward a third, articulated position, the lever 42 (FIG. 1A) of the articulation mechanism 40 is rotated counter-clockwise. Upon counter-clockwise rotation of the lever 42, the articulation shaft 132 of the articulation assembly 130 moves along the longitudinal axis “X1,” in a distal direction indicated by arrow “D” in FIG. 9. Linear motion of the articulation shaft 132, in the direction indicated by arrow “D,” is converted into rotational motion of the first gear 142, in a direction indicated by arrow “E” in FIG. 9, due to the meshing engagement of the bottom gear 142 a of the first gear 142 with the teeth 134 a of the rack 134. Rotation of the first gear 142 results in rotation of the second gear 152, in a direction indicated by arrow “F” in FIG. 9, via the meshing engagement between the top gear 142 b of the first gear 142 and the second gear 152. In this way, the first gear 142 converts longitudinal movement of the articulation shaft 132 into rotational movement of the second gear 152.

Rotation of the second gear 152 causes the end effector 110 to pivot or articulate about the pivot axis “P” (FIG. 5) relative to the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102 due to the second gear 152 being non-rotatably coupled to the proximal end 116 of the end effector 110. Upon the end effector 110 being pivoted about the pivot axis “P,” the second longitudinal axis “X2” of the end effector 110 becomes misaligned (i.e., non-parallel) with the first longitudinal axis “X1” of the elongate body 102, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Continued rotation of the second gear 152 will continue to pivot the end effector 110 until the respective longitudinal axes “X1” and “X2” of the elongate body 102 and the end effector 110 are perpendicular to one another, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. As can be appreciated, the second and third, articulated positions of the end effector 110 are 180 degrees apart.

The present disclosure also relates to methods of using the described surgical stapling instruments 10 a, 10 b to perform a surgical procedure and/or to articulate an end effector of a surgical stapling instrument. Staples may be fired from a cartridge of the end effector employing a similar mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,139 to Milliman et al., which has been incorporated by reference herein.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the instruments and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments. It is envisioned that the elements and features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the elements and features of another without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As well, one skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the disclosure based on the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A surgical instrument comprising: an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end and defining a first longitudinal axis; a toothed rack disposed within the elongate body and being movable in a direction parallel to the first longitudinal axis; and an end effector having a proximal end pivotally supported on the distal end of the elongate body, the end effector defining a second longitudinal axis and supporting a gear operatively associated with the rack, wherein longitudinal movement of the rack effects rotational movement of the gear to effect pivotal movement of the end effector relative to the elongate body from a first position in which the second longitudinal axis is aligned with the first longitudinal axis to a second position in which the second longitudinal axis is misaligned with the first longitudinal axis.
 2. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising another gear rotatably supported at the distal end of the elongate body, the gear supported on the elongate body defining a first gear and the gear supported on the end effector defining a second gear, wherein the first gear is in meshing engagement with the rack and the second gear such that the first gear converts longitudinal movement of the rack into rotational movement of the second gear.
 3. The surgical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the first gear includes: a bottom gear in meshing engagement with the rack; and a top gear non-rotatably coupled to the bottom gear and in meshing engagement with the second gear.
 4. The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein the bottom gear is coplanar with the rack and the top gear is coplanar with the second gear.
 5. The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein the bottom and top gears of the first gear are spaced from one another.
 6. The surgical instrument according to claim 3, wherein the bottom gear has a smaller diameter than a diameter of the top gear.
 7. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the end effector is configured to rotate 180 degrees relative to the elongate body about a pivot axis extending perpendicularly relative to the first longitudinal axis.
 8. The surgical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising an articulation mechanism coupled to the proximal end of the elongate body and including a lever operatively coupled to a proximal end of the rack such that rotation of the lever effects longitudinal movement of the rack. 